This month was a lot more challenging to do a video for because I spent most of the month on lock down in front of my computer getting all the final things in place for my new business which I launched on Feb13th – watch the video for more info 😉

February is my least favorite month of the year. I’ve been saying for years that I don’t want to spend another winter somewhere cold but year after year I end up somewhere covered in snow and freezing.

Having said that being somewhere with shit weather this month really helped me focus on getting my new business up and running so I can see the silver lining within it.

My dad said to me when I was leaving Ireland to begin my travels 10 years ago – ‘Always remember that you live in your head. As long as you are happy there it doesn’t matter where you are.’

I know that using the weather as a dictator of my mood is a cop out but I still struggle with it all the same.

I’ve honestly been blown away at how many orders I’ve taken in over the past 2 weeks. For some reason I was expecting it to flop but it didn’t. I guess in a weird way that’s what allows me to do things like this – I’m fully aware when starting a new venture that it might fail and I accept that right from the get.

If it works out – great, if it doesn’t – I’ll do something else – pretty simple.

A lot of people get paralyzed by the ‘what ifs’ and fear of failure but I don’t. I almost crave to be in that environment for some reason.

This is the 5th company that I’ve started.

My first was a personally training business that I ran for a little over a year.

My second was a CrossFit gym which I ran for almost six years.

My third was an online coaching business I started with another gym owner which we ended up dissolving because neither of us were putting in enough time to make it successful.

My fourth was a Hostel for BASE Jumpers in Twin Falls which is going strong just after passing the one year mark.

And now comes BASEgear

Over the years I’ve had countless people approach me saying they wanted to start a business and ask for advice on how to do so.

99% of them have never followed through. I always give as much help as people ask for time and time again but ultimately most people don’t even try.

Everyone has ideas but as Gary V puts it so eloquently – ‘Ideas as easy, doing shit is hard’

I don’t have any education in business, never made a business plan, projection, or any of that. With each venture I’ve started I’ve simply asked myself a simple question: How do I get what I want AND create value for others at the same time?

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask yourself – John Demartini

My Personal Training business was born by me wanting to pay for courses to learn more effective and efficient ways to train myself. I knew a little bit, so I started teaching others. I didn’t need slips of paper saying I was qualified – I just needed to know a little more than the people I was helping. As long as you stay at least one step ahead of your clients you can all grow together.

That grew into my own gym after the question- how can I workout for free everyday and be my own boss? – By having my own facility, and by creating a positive environment to help even more people accomplish their goals.

After coming to Twin Falls to jump every couple of months for almost a year and a half and paying for hotels I spent little time in I knew there had to be a better solution for myself as well as others. By creating the cheapest place to stay in town I got free rent myself, as well as created a place for people to hangout.

BASEgear was born by me identifying that there was no one stop shop for BASE – Aside from parachutes and BASE specific stuff there was nowhere you could purchase clothing, footwear, and protective gear. Over the last few years I’ve tested a lot of products in those areas and instead of trying to seek potential sponsorship for myself personally (100% selfish) I simply become a dealer for the brands I believe in, get a nice discount for myself, and I’m able to support the jumping community as a result by providing what I believe to be the best products available.

To summarize all the above ‘you get what you want by helping others get what they want’ – It’s not a sneaky move by any regards, it’s simply the way businesses work.

Coming full circle I think that a lot of people don’t even try because they are just asking themselves ‘how do I get what I want?’ And it doesn’t work like that.

I’ve kinda gone through the above process naturally over the years, it’s only recently that I’ve really been able to identify the pattern I keep repeating and use it to my advantage. For that reason I think it’s something that’s either in your blood or it’s not. You can’t force it.

People who like to read don’t need to force it, athletes don’t need to force themselves to train, and entrepreneurs don’t need to force themselves to start new businesses – it’s who they are. I have no idea what the future holds for myself but I do know that I will never stop creating ways to get what I want by fulfilling others needs. I don’t have a choice.

Figure out who you are, and play your own game – thats the only way.

If anyone does want any more info on any of the above feel free to contact me.

Anyways, thats enough ranting for one month.

Two months into my little video project and I’m kinda disappointed with this one. I didn’t put any real effort into it BUT ultimately it’s all for myself and I have 10 more months to play with. The whole purpose of this is to document my year so I can look back on it in a few years so I guess it’s all beneficial in some way.

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“Honor those who seek truth, beware of those who’ve found it” [adapted from Voltaire]. A reminder that the path never ends and that absolutely nobody has shit figured out.

Life shrinks and expands in proportion to ones courage – Anais nin

Those who get it get it. A nod is just as good as a wink to a blind horse.

The process matters more than the product. TF

If you can’t pay it back pay it forward

When you make it, the job gets harder – triple H

What am I doing continuously that I’m not good at? – improve it, eliminate it, or delegate it

Getting upset is like continuing a dream while you’re awake. The thing that provoked you wasn’t real – but your reaction was. And so from the fake comes real consequences. Which is why you need to wake up right now instead of creating a nightmare. Ryan holiday

The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials Lin yutang